Leadership, Advocacy, and the Practice of Integrated Nursing Care of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Catalog description

Emphasis is on the synthesis of course content practice. Through classroom and clinical experiences, students critically examine the role of nursing in the life-long care of people with ASD, and identify ways to expand the scope of nursing care for this vulnerable population. Students explore the availability of services in the community and discuss approaches to patient advocacy. Students have opportunities to select an area of specialization to develop specific practice expertise. Such areas are Diagnosis and Referral Practices (e.g. ADOS Training), Behavioral Therapy Training (e.g. Applied Behavioral Analysis), and clinical research. Practical issues of collaboration and reimbursement for services are explored. Students' clinical experiences are designed to facilitate scholarship, independence and advanced specialization in a chosen component of ASD care, for example, behavioral analysis, screening and/or diagnosis, or an agenda for research. Students identify and implement an independent project.